Great points made by everyone: Current, slew rates, transient power reserves, damping rates, bass control, not sweating low impedances, and being "musical". But there is something about a large amp just idling along happy at putting out 40W to 100W peaks compared to a smaller 40W amp that will run out of steam - if you want to go louder. And the synergy with the speakers. As Andrew Robinson stated in his review of the new Emotiva Airmotiv XT2. That thing was a power hog. It sounded good, but he had to step it up with what amp he used to get it to play nicely. I imagine Magnepans would be the same.
Shocked. Need Opinions. How muck power do I need?
I’m moving so of my sound gear around. As a temporary measure, I set up my little Cambridge EVO 75 in my main system. Driving my Dali Mentor 6s in a large room (36x36). Speakers are 9 feet apart and seat is 10 feet from speakers. This 75 water replaced my much more powerful monoblocks. To my shock, the amp drove these speakers just fine. The bass was a little weaker, but perfectly acceptable. Here’s what I want to know— if 75 watts are enough, will 40 watts do? I’m talking all solid state. What say you?